


Futile Devices

by lionheart (cruel_oath)



Series: Tumblr Requests 2018 [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Dancing, M/M, Meeting the Parents, Misunderstandings, Tumblr Prompts, marriage proposals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2018-03-23
Packaged: 2019-03-15 17:49:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13618527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cruel_oath/pseuds/lionheart
Summary: A collection of fics fromthis list of promptson tumblr.





	1. things you said that i wasn't meant to hear (promnis)

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: things you said that I wasn't meant to hear.  
> Ship: promnis

“I must confess, I’ve had these… feelings for you for quite some time.”

Prompto freezes, his fingers brushing against the doorknob. He feels the icy weight of heartbreak settle upon him, quickly stepping away from the door before he could alter Gladio or Ignis of his presence.

Of course Ignis would choose Gladio over him. Of  _ course _ he would.

Prompto rushes out of the motel, only to run into Noctis as soon as he’s out the door. He tries to look happy, but it’s not convincing enough to trick Noctis into changing the subject.

“Dude, c’mon,” Noctis says, “talk to me. What’s wrong?”

“Noct, it’s no big deal—”

“Bullshit.” Noctis takes Prompto somewhere a little quieter, where they won’t receive looks from passersby. “Prompto, you’re my best friend. I know I’m a little dense, but I can tell when you’re upset.”

“I just… I think I’d like to be alone for a little while.”

Noctis looks like he wants to argue. Instead, he asks, “Are you sure? I mean, I won’t force you to talk about it, but do you really want to be left alone?”

“Yeah. Just… just for a little while. Okay?”

Noctis hesitates. He lets out a sigh. “Okay. Text me if you need me, alright?”

He agrees, leaving as soon as Noctis lets him go. He finds a fairly secluded spot by the nearby lake, making sure Noctis hadn’t followed him before finally letting himself break down.

Prompto knew he was being ridiculous. It’s not that big of a deal, yet…

He thinks of the conversations they’d have in the car, while Noctis was sleeping and Gladio was too absorbed in his book to tune in. He thinks of the nights spent cooking together, Ignis’ gentle hands correcting Prompto’s technique and lingering for just a moment too long. He thinks of Ignis’ warm embrace when he wakes up from a nightmare and his soft, reassuring voice lulling him back into a dreamless sleep.

“You read too deeply, dumbass,” Prompto mutters to himself. He thought saying it out loud would help, but it only seemed to make it feel worse.

“Prompto?”

He starts, swearing under his breath. He quickly wipes away the stray tears, hoping it wasn’t too obvious that he had been crying. Prompto forces himself to smile and turns to find Ignis approaching him, a concerned look on his face.

“Heya, Igs,” Prompto says in the steadiest voice he can manage. “Just, y’know… enjoying the view.”

The concern doesn’t leave Ignis’ face. He sits down next to Prompto, close enough for their shoulders to touch. “Would you care to tell me what’s bothering you?”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about, dude,” Prompto says a little too quickly. “Everything’s great!”

“Prompto, I’ve known you long enough to know when you’re lying to me.”

“Look, Iggy, it’s no big deal—”

“It must be if you’re crying.”

Ignis isn’t going to back down, that much Prompto can tell. For a moment, he considers giving him a half-truth,  _ something  _ to satisfy him, but the words tumble out of his mouth before he can stop them.

“I overheard you and Gladio earlier. I, um… I didn’t mean to listen in, really—”

“Oh, Prompto,” Ignis says, his voice quiet. “That’s… it’s not like that.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, Ignis? Nobody just says that to a friend!”

Ignis sighs. “Not… typically, no. I must say, though, it’s rare I need to practice such confessions.”

_ Practice?  _ Prompto gives Ignis a questioning look, trying not to get his hopes up too high.

“I must confess that I’m quite fond of you,” Ignis says, his voice soft. “I’ve felt this way for quite some time, but I understand if you’d rather not—”

Prompto cuts Ignis off with a quick kiss to the lips. “I think jumping to conclusions once today is enough, don’t you think?”

After a moment, Ignis lets out a light chuckle. “I suppose you’re right.” He stands up, offering his hand to Prompto. “Now, why don’t we head back so we can start on dinner?”


	2. things you said as we danced in our socks (promnis)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: things you said as we danced in our socks  
> ship: promnis

Ignis Scientia was not having a very good day.

For starters, his alarm failed to go off at the right time that morning, making him sleep in an extra hour. That resulted in him being late to a council meeting, leading to a rather long lecture from Clarus Amicitia afterwards. Worse yet, one of his assistants didn’t file the  _ extremely important report that was already late,  _ which resulted in him working through his lunch to file before someone else decided to bite his head off.

Ignis had hoped that training would help turn the day around, but it only seemed to make things worse. He made mistakes that even a rookie wouldn’t have made on their first day, wound up losing  _ half  _ of his sparring matches, and busted his favorite set of training daggers.

Thankfully, Noctis was supposed to have dinner with his father tonight. That meant Ignis wouldn’t have to wrestle him into reading reports, or wonder how much food was about to be wasted, or—

When Ignis opens the door to his apartment, he’s greeted by the smell of something delicious. He finds Prompto in the kitchen, humming along with the radio and stirring a pot on the stove.

“Welcome home, babe,” Prompto greets cheerfully. He gives Ignis a smile that lifts his spirits, making every terrible thing that happened over the past few hours disappear from his memory.

“Good evening, darling,” Ignis says as he removes his shoes. He sets his paperwork down on the coffee table before approaching his fiancé, wrapping his arms around him from behind and resting his head on his shoulder.

“Rough day?” Prompto asks.

“Mm-hmm.” Ignis buries his face into the crook of Prompto’s neck, sighing softly. “I never thought so much could go wrong in a single day.”

Prompto makes a sympathetic sound. “Well, it can only get better from here, right?” Ignis feels Prompto’s lips brush against his hair. “Go relax, babe. Dinner’s almost ready.”

Ignis smiles, kissing Prompto’s jaw before pulling away. “Thank you, love.”

“Hey, we can’t let those cooking lessons go to waste, right?

True to his word, dinner was ready within a few minutes. Ignis can’t fight the smile that spreads across his face when he discovers that Prompto made his favorite seafood paella. He reaches for Prompto’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“Thank you, darling,” Ignis says. “It looks lovely.”

Prompto smiles. “Let’s hope it tastes as good as it looks, yeah?”

And it does—it’s a tad overspiced and the rice is just a touch undercooked, but it’s by far Prompto’s best attempt at the dish. When Ignis goes for seconds, Prompto’s face lights up in a way that makes his heart flutter.

After dinner, Ignis insists on helping Prompto with the dishes. As they work, Prompto prattles on about wedding plans and potential honeymoon destinations over the radio. Ignis allows him to ramble, finding it difficult to keep the smile off his face while he listens.

Just as Ignis puts away the last dish, the radio begins to play a slower song. It makes him think of their first few dates, when they were still too nervous to make eye contact for more than a few seconds at a time. He smiles fondly when Prompto takes his hand, pulling him away from the cupboard.

_ Take me out tonight... _

“Oh, man,” Prompto says, slipping his arms around Ignis’ neck. “This song brings back memories…”

Ignis hums in agreement, his arms wrapping around Prompto’s waist. He kisses his forehead, swaying them gently. When he closes his eyes, he’s back in the club he and Prompto went to on their fourth or fifth date. Ignis has finally worked up the courage to ask Prompto to dance just as a slower song starts to play.

_ And if a double-decker bus  _ _   
_ _ Crashes into us  _ _   
_ _ To die by your side  _ _   
_ __ Is such a heavenly way to die 

In the present, they dance in their kitchen—Ignis can’t bring himself to care that he’s still in his work clothes, or that he still hasn’t showered, or that he still has reports to read. All he can focus on is Prompto’s soft laughter.

“This probably sounds really stupid,” Prompto says when Ignis presses him to his chest, “but I was thinking that this should be the song that plays during our first dance for the wedding.”

“I think it’s a lovely idea.” It’s an odd choice—most couples might’ve chosen something a little more traditional.

Then again, they weren’t like most couples.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> current list of requests:
> 
> 1) 58, promnis  
> 2) 13, promptis  
> 3) 18, promnis  
> 4) 40, promptio
> 
> i'll keep taking [these prompts](https://memegitek.tumblr.com/post/170563487266/prompts-1-things-you-said-at-1-am-2-things), but they won't be top priority bc of other projects (if i'm not given a ship, i'll pick one at random)


	3. things you were afraid to say (promnis)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: things you were afraid to say  
> Ship: promnis

For what feels like the hundredth time, Ignis checks his coat pocket. Sure enough, the little box is still there, right where he left it. His thumb anxiously rubs circles into the soft velvet of the box until he forces himself to pull his hand out of his pocket.

“Get a hold of yourself, Scientia.”

Truly, he has nothing to worry about—he and Prompto had discussed the topic of marriage enough times in the past to know that this was something they both wanted, but he couldn’t stop himself from wondering if  _ now  _ was the right time. Was it too soon? Would Prompto feel pressured? Were they even ready for marriage?

Ignis is pulled from his thoughts by the cheerful wark of a chocobo. He glances down at his phone, finding a text from Prompto.

_ sorry!! just got off the train, on my way there!! <3 _

Ignis smiles in spite of the overwhelming anxiety. He doesn’t bother to reply—he knows that by the time he hits send, he’ll see Prompto running over—

“Iggy!”

Ignis raises his head, offering Prompto a warm smile in greeting. He’s nearly knocked over when Prompto throws his arms around him, clinging to him like he hadn’t seen him in  _ months  _ as opposed to a few hours. Ignis lets out a soft chuckle when he returns the embrace, pressing his lips to Prompto’s temple.

As Ignis holds Prompto, he thinks of the late night text conversations they would have back in the early days of their relationship. He thinks of the first night they shared a bed and how wonderful it felt to wake up next to someone in the morning. He thinks of all the times Prompto brought him lunch from his favorite café on particularly rough days at the citadel, offering a bright spot in an otherwise dreary day.

“You okay, babe?”

Ignis pulls away enough to look Prompto in the eye. He offers him a kind smile, gently cupping his cheek. “Yes, darling. I suppose I’m just a little distracted today.”

“Oh?” Prompto tilts his head to the side like a puppy, his eyes wide with curiosity. “What’s on your mind?”

Ignis hesitates. He thinks of the conversation he had with Noctis earlier that day, when he was too anxious to even take the box out of its hiding spot.

_ “You love him, don’t you?” _

_ “Of course I do.” _

_ “And you want to spend the rest of your life with him, right?” _

His fingers brush against the velvet box.

_ “Yes. More than anything.” _

He had a big, long speech planned, one that he spent hours rehearsing with Gladio. That was forgotten in favor of pulling the box out of his pocket and getting down on one knee.

“Prompto Argentum, will you marry me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've actually written two more chapters, but I'm going to spread out some of the updates just so I have time to finish the very last request.


	4. things you said at the kitchen table (promptis)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: things you said at the kitchen table  
> Ship: promptis

“So, um… I think you should meet my dad.”

Prompto looks up from his bowl of  _ Coco Chocobos _ , an eyebrow raised. He slowly chews the mouthful of cereal before swallowing. “Um… didn’t I already meet him? Twice?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Noctis said. “But, like… those were different, y’know? You were my new friend from school the first time, then a new recruit for the crownsguard the second. This time, you’d be meeting him as my boyfriend.”

“You mean you haven’t told him?”

“No, no, no, I’ve told him,” Noctis says. “He just… I dunno, I guess he just wants to get to know  _ you  _ a little better since, y’know, we’re dating and all. All he really knows is that you like chocobos and taking pictures.”

Prompto shoves another spoonful of cereal into his mouth, humming. “Now that you mention it, those first two meetings weren’t really  _ meetings,  _ were they? More like extended introductions.”

Noctis remembers—his father only had a few minutes between meetings to introduce himself the first time, and the second time he swore Prompto into the crownsguard. He’s positive Prompto never actually spoke more than ten words on either occasion, and everything his father knows about Prompto is from what Noctis tells him.

“You know how I’m supposed to go have dinner with him at the end of the week? Well, he called me and wanted to invite you, if you were up for it. You wanna go?”

Prompto smiles. “Of course I do.”


	5. things you said when you were scared (promnis)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: things you said when you were scared  
> Ship: promnis

“We have to go back out there,” Ignis says as he pulls on his jacket. “We can’t waste anymore time in this caravan—”

“Ignis,” Gladio says, grabbing the adviser’s arm. “You need to calm down—”

“I do believe I’m calm enough, given the circumstances!” He turns to face Gladio, his unseeing eye boring into him. “Prompto  _ always  _ comes back when he says he will. Cindy said he left Hammerhead last week.  _ Something  _ happened, and I intend to get to the bottom of it.”

“And you plan on doing that alone?”

A pause. “If I have to, yes.”

Gladio sighs. “Dammit, Ignis, I know the two of you are fooling around—”

“There’s more to it than that, Gladiolus,” Ignis spits. He forces himself to breathe, exhaling slowly. “But I suppose you wouldn’t know that.”

He expects Gladio to kick the hornet's nest, or at the very least, leave the caravan with a huff. Instead, he feels a massive hand land on his shoulder.

“You love him.” It’s not a question.

“I suppose I do.”

“‘Suppose?’”

“Before he left for Hammerhead, he told me he loved me. I… I didn’t say it back.”

Gladio lets out a sigh. “Then I guess we’re gonna have to track him down so you can fix that.  _ After  _ you get it together.”

Ignis nods. He pushes the thought of finding Prompto’s corpse in a ditch to the back of his mind, forcing himself to focus on what little evidence they had. “Perhaps Cindy might know where he was headed.”

* * *

 

According to Cindy, a band of refugees passed through Hammerhead the day before. While she was giving them a hand, one of them mentioned a hunter with two pistols and a personality as bright as the sun. He apparently planned on accompanying them to Lestallum, since he was headed there anyway, but he stayed behind when daemons ambushed them and told the refugees to get out while they could.

Though they now have a possible location, it does little to ease Ignis’ nerves. The daemons out by Old Lestallum were big and powerful—Prompto, as skilled as he had become over the years, couldn’t take multiple iron giants at once.

By now, they’ve been searching the area for hours. Ignis is starting to lose hope.

“It’s a good way to go,” Glado says as they search the abandoned Crow’s Nest. “Kid saved those people. He’s a hero.”

“Don’t talk about him like that,” Ignis says. “There’s still a chance that he’s alive, we just need to—” He stops talking, turning towards the kitchen.

“Ignis?” Gladio asks.

“Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“It’s coming from the kitchen.”

“Ignis, that’s probably a—dammit, don’t just rush off!”

He doesn’t hear the rest of Gladio’s warning. He begins to quietly make his way through the kitchen, narrowly avoiding the debris. It’s dead silent until he rounds the corner, when he’s tackled to the ground. Ignis goes to summon his dagger, reaching into the ether—

“Iggy?”

The dagger disappears as quickly as it was summoned. Ignis wraps his arms around Prompto, pulling him to his chest.

“Oh, darling,” Ignis whispers, pressing his lips to Prompto’s forehead. “Are you alright? You’re not hurt, are you?”

“I’m okay,” Prompto says, “just a little banged up.”

Ignis pulls back, cuping Prompto’s cheek. “Let’s get you home, then.”


	6. things you said when you met my parents (promptio)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: things you said when you met my parents  
> Ship: Promptio

“You could’ve told us you were dating the Prince of Lucis’ Shield!”

To their credit, Prompto’s parents  _ did  _ wait until Gladio was out of the room before they proceeded to hiss at their son. Unfortunately, they weren’t exactly subtle about it.

“Well, um,” Prompto begins. “I didn’t really think that detail was important.”

“Not important? Prompto,  _ he’s one of the most important men in Lucis!”  _ Prompto’s mother doesn’t sound  _ angry,  _ per se, but her voice did have a bit of an edge to it. “If I had known we’d have an Amicitia in this house, I would’ve cleaned the place up.”

Gladio can’t help but roll his eyes at that. The place looks  _ immaculate.  _ There’s not a speck of dust anywhere.

“Could we talk about this later? Please?” Prompto asks. He sounds  _ humiliated.  _ Gladio can picture him biting his lip and scratching at his wrist anxiously.

Weren’t they supposed to be supportive? They should’ve wanted their son to just be  _ happy,  _ yet here they were, ripping into him over the man he was dating.

Gladio left the bathroom and silently walked through the hall. He didn’t make his presence known until after Mrs. Argentum had finished her rant.

“Oh, Lord Amicitia, I—”

“There’s no need for such formalities, Mrs. Argentum,” Gladio says. “Gladiolus works just fine. But, I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation with Prompto.”

Mrs. Argentum floundered, turning to her husband. “We just—”

“Do you not approve of our relationship?”

“N-no, of course not! We want our Prompto to be happy, but—”

“Then my title shouldn’t matter.” Gladio walks up to Prompto, gently taking his hand. “I understand it’s a bit intimidating, but that doesn’t mean Prompto isn’t worthy of being my boyfriend.”

“We weren’t saying that Prompto isn’t worthy!”

“It sure sounded like it.” Gladio turns to Prompto, giving him a small smile. “Do you know what attracted me to Prompto? It was his endless optimism and willingness to help. It was his enthusiasm and relentlessness when it came to training for the Crownsguard. It was his ability to get up matter how many times life knocked him down. If  _ anybody’s  _ worthy, it’s Prompto.”

Prompto smiles. “Oh, Gladdy…”

Gladio gently pulls Prompto close, pressing a soft kiss to the top of his head. “I love him for who he is, regardless of where he came from. Nothing could possibly change that.”

The room falls silent. Gladio feels Prompto tense up against him. He holds the blond a little closer, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze.

“You’re right,” Mrs. Argentum finally said. “Prompto, dear, I apologize. I was… sweetheart, I support you.”

Gladio feels the tension leave Prompto. He smiles when his boyfriend leaves his embrace and scurries over to his mother, who pulls him into her arms.

“Now, then,” Mrs. Argentum says. “I believe it’s time we get dinner served.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All caught up! I'll consider adding more to this if I decide to take these prompts again, but for now, this is complete. Thank you so much for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to [send me one of these prompts]().


End file.
